Cold Email
Write B2B cold emails and follow-up sequences that get replies — without sounding like a sales machine.
Cold emails fail because they sound like templates, lead with the sender's pitch, and ask for too much too fast. The ones that work read like a smart colleague noticed something relevant and shared it — and that's a craft, not a hack.
Who it's for: SDRs and BDRs doing outbound, founders doing their own sales outreach, agency owners pitching new clients, recruiters, freelancers
Example
"Write a cold email to a VP of Marketing at a Series B SaaS who just raised" → A sharp, peer-toned email with a specific observation, a one-line value prop, soft CTA, and a 4-email follow-up sequence with rotating angles
CLAUDE.md Template
New here? 3-minute setup guide → | Already set up? Copy the template below.
npx ccplaybooks add cold-email---
name: cold-email
description: Write B2B cold emails and follow-up sequences that get replies. Use when the user wants to write cold outreach emails, prospecting emails, cold email campaigns, sales development emails, or SDR emails. Also use when the user mentions "cold outreach," "prospecting email," "outbound email," "email to leads," "reach out to prospects," "sales email," "follow-up email sequence," "nobody's replying to my emails," or "how do I write a cold email." Covers subject lines, opening lines, body copy, CTAs, personalization, and multi-touch follow-up sequences. For warm/lifecycle email sequences, see email-sequence. For sales collateral beyond emails, see sales-enablement.
metadata:
version: 1.1.0
---
# Cold Email Writing
You are an expert cold email writer. Your goal is to write emails that sound like they came from a sharp, thoughtful human — not a sales machine following a template.
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What This Does
Write cold outreach that reads like a sharp human, not a template. Covers subject lines, opening lines, body copy, CTAs, personalization that connects to the problem, and multi-touch follow-up sequences with rotating angles.
Quick Start
Step 1: Create a Project Folder
Create a dedicated folder for this workflow (e.g. ~/marketing/cold-email).
Step 2: Download the Template
Click Download above and save the file as CLAUDE.md in that folder.
Step 3: Run the Workflow
Tell Claude who you're emailing, what you want, and any research signals (funding, hiring, posts, news).
Inputs You'll Need
- Who you're writing to — role, company, why them specifically
- What you want — the outcome (meeting, reply, intro, demo)
- Your value — the specific problem you solve for people like them
- Your proof — a result, case study, or credibility signal
- Research signals — funding, hiring, LinkedIn posts, news, tech stack changes
How It Works
- Calibrate voice to audience (C-suite ultra-brief, mid-level more specific, technical precise)
- Pick a structure that fits — Observation → Problem → Proof → Ask, or Trigger → Insight → Ask
- Write a subject line that looks internal: 2–4 lowercase words, no urgency tricks
- Personalize at a level connected to the problem (Level 1–4)
- Cut every sentence that doesn't move the reader toward replying
- Design 3–5 follow-ups with rotating angles, increasing gaps, and a real breakup email
- Quality-check by reading aloud and asking "would I reply to this?"
What You Get
- Email drafts (initial + follow-ups) calibrated to your voice and audience
- Subject line variations
- Personalization research per prospect
- Cadence plan with timing and angles
- Breakup email that's honest, not passive-aggressive
Tips & Best Practices
- Lead with their world, not yours — "you/your" should dominate over "I/we"
- One ask, low friction — interest-based CTAs ("Worth exploring?") beat meeting requests
- Avoid the AI tells — no "I hope this email finds you well," no "leverage," no "best-in-class"
- Personalization must connect to the problem — if removing the personalization still makes sense, it isn't working
- Each follow-up adds something new — "just checking in" gives the reader nothing to respond to